Ryan Preece did not need to look very far to see what was missing. The No. 60 Ford had been around the top 10 through the opening races of the Chase, yet the drivers above him kept building their totals faster. Moving towards Kansas, the difference was right there in the rear-view mirror. Preece knew where the No. 60 had to find more if the NASCAR championship was still going to be worth a consideration. 

“And, you know, the guys like Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Briscoe, Ty Gibbs, like, they’re getting lots and lots of stage points.” Ryan Preece told reporter Tim Moore.

That was Preece’s answer when Tim Moore asked about RFK Racing’s lack of stage points during the Chase. He wasn’t focused on a single lapse; it was instead about what the leading drivers were collecting throughout each race.

“So for you to be a championship contender, you’re going to have to finish top five in stages.”

The numbers speak in favour of Preece’s reaction. In 2026, a stage win is 10 points, with nine for second and eight for third. Those points go with the driver after the stage ends. The final race result then adds another set of points, with a win now worth 55.

That gives a NASCAR driver more than one chance to culminate a big total. A 10th-place finish is 27 points before stage points. If that driver wins both stages, another 20 points go onto the same result. The finish part is unchanged, but the points haul’s different now. 

Preece has already established the value of putting together a complete race. At Daytona International Speedway, he survived a Stage 1 crash, recovered from 38th for Stage 2 and finished second in that stage. He then won the race in overtime to secure his first Cup Series win and the final Chase spot.

His Chase results have been different. Preece finished 10th at Darlington Raceway and 10th at Bristol Motor Speedway. At World Wide Technology Raceway, he was among the stage scorers again as Kyle Larson won both the race and Stage 2.

The issue was not Preece’s ability to finish inside the top 10. It was the lack of stage points he collected before reaching those finishes.

“I feel like we can compete every week, and we’re just, we’re working on things we need to work on if we’re going to try and compete for a championship.”

Since we’re back to the Chase now, 2026 onwards, this matters. Sixteen drivers entered the postseason, but there are no eliminations. Points were reset only once before Darlington, and every point afterward carries into the next race. The driver with the most points after the 10th Chase race at Homestead-Miami Speedway becomes champion.

After Bristol, Kyle Larson led with 2,206 points. Denny Hamlin had 2,205, Christopher Bell had 2,189, Ty Gibbs had 2,164 and Chase Briscoe had 2,119. Preece was at 2,082, leaving him 124 points behind Larson.

That gap explains why a string of respectable finishes cannot be the entire plan. Preece was 37 points behind Briscoe, but the distance to Larson was already more than three times larger. The NASCAR drivers ahead were not simply finishing well. They were collecting stage points and, in Larson’s case, adding a triumph at Gateway.

Preece Knows Where the Bigger Opportunities May Come In NASCAR

The next part of Preece’s answer was less about the standings and more about where he believes the No. 60 can change them.

“We need to win stages and a lot of things. But, you know, you go to Talladega, you go to Martinsville, you go to Homestead, Phoenix. Those are all places that could potentially fall into our wheelhouse.”

Those four tracks all test a driver in different ways. Talladega Superspeedway runs on drafting and late chaos, where one lap can flip the whole race. Martinsville Speedway is tighter and slower, built on hard braking and staying patient in traffic. Phoenix Raceway brings its own challenge. And Homestead-Miami Speedway is where it all gets decided.

Talladega isn’t just wishful thinking for Preece. He’s already been fast at superspeedways this year, and his NASCAR Daytona win showed what his RFK Racing team can do when a tough race turns into a big points day. There’s no reset waiting at Homestead. Nothing clears the slate before that final race, so every race leading up to it matters. A driver can’t afford to lose ground now and hope to make it up later.

That’s the tough spot Preece is in. His 10th-place finishes have kept his No. 60 car in the fight, but they haven’t kept pace with Larson, Hamlin, Bell, Gibbs or Briscoe so far. Ryan already knows this. Being fast late in the race isn’t enough. He needs speed early too, before the stages wrap up. That’s what will shape the rest of his Chase.